Holiday Treasures
by Romantic In Denial
Summary: I'm trying something a little different for Jarbie – hopefully I'll be able to deliver. Starting with New Year's, I'm planning to write a treasured moment or moments for each holiday of the year. I apologize in advance if this doesn't work out. Thank you for reading & reviewing. Skyler Mist, Munyo & Yas-M - I love your comments. Please know how much I appreciate all of them.
1. Happy New Year

Frost glittered like diamonds on the ice bound lake and as the first fireworks exploded those sparkles were transformed into every color of the rainbow. The room also exploded with cheers and enthusiastic wishes of "Happy New Year." There was an exception...a couple standing next to the french doors only had eyes for each other. The ruggedly handsome male rested his hands lightly on the waist of the stunning redhead who had looped her arms around his neck. No words were necessary, their eyes said it all...his intense and wanting, hers soft and caring, both expressing one thing...their love and need for each other.

Slowly his hands moved away from her waist, gently cupping her face. Her lips were already parted waiting for his kiss. Her heart skipped a beat as soon as she felt his breath caress her face and when she felt his tongue begin to trace her lips, her soft moan could not be suppressed. Oblivious to their guests, he deepened his kiss – his hands at her lower back, drifting downward to pull her even closer. She sighed as his touch. His embrace, his kiss evoking a precious memory...the memory of their first kiss in the rain when they were shy and tentative with each other.

Reluctantly they parted, perhaps finally realizing that they were not alone. Julia rested her head against Barbie's shoulder, just as she did on that night so many months ago. They were free of the dome now and secure in their love for each other but she would never forget that night. She would never forget the attraction she felt that would not be suppressed, that despite what she had learned about his past, she sought him out and he had welcomed her without question.

Julia lifted her head smiling a bit ruefully. "I do believe we're neglecting our guests."

He laughed softly still holding her close as if he were loath to be apart from her. "I think our guests are used to us drifting away but we could ask them to leave. Then I could wish you a Happy New Year my way." His breath caught in his throat seeing a soft blush begin to cover her face as she bit down on her lower lip, her eyes reflecting her desire.

He would never take her for granted. He often wondered what would have happened if she had not come looking for him that night. Would he have made the first move? There was no question that he felt an irresistible attraction to her but even now he could not say that he would have had the guts to pursue her. His eyes grew darker with a softness that reflected his overwhelming love for the woman who taught him how to be a better man.

"Julia, marry me." His voice was urgent as he stroked her cheek gently.

"I am, I will. I said yes and haven't changed my mind."

"Yeah I know you did, but marry me now – tomorrow. I don't want to wait any longer to give you my name. Will you?"

Julia smiled before leaning in to press a soft kiss against his lips. "Of course I will. I love you and while a piece of paper won't make this any more real or special, I must say that being known as Mrs. Barbara has a certain appeal."

"It appeals to me too. Thank you, Julia."

"You're welcome. By the way, handsome...having our New Year's celebration at your family's lake house was pretty genius. Fireworks were a nice touch, even though we missed most of them."

Julia turned so she was facing the french doors, her back against Barbie, her eyes gazing on the tranquil, frozen lake. She felt his arms close around her, felt his chest rumble as he spoke . Baby, I liked the fireworks in here much better."

"I can't lie...so did I."

They stood there for a moment, content to be together, thankful that life was once again normal. Barbie gently turned Julia so they were eye to eye. "Let's keep this a secret, OK? Let's go away tomorrow and find a nice place to get married, just the two of us."

"That sounds amazing. I'd love to do that and then later we can have a party to celebrate with everyone. Maybe on Valentine's Day." She reached up to trace her thumb against his soft whiskers, a soft smile lighting up her face. "Happy New Year, Barbie...I love you."

"Happy New Year, Julia...I'll love you forever."


	2. Valentine's Day

**Ahh...Valentine's Day! Need I say more? I confess to stealing the line about "only the good notes" from one of my favorite movies, "The Holiday." This is pure fluff with absolutely no plot or purpose other than to showcase the amazing chemistry of Jarbie. Hope you like it.**

Julia stopped fussing with her hair but continued looking into the mirror. She was no longer paying attention to herself but at the reflection of Barbie. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, strumming his guitar, a look of concentration on his face. Yet his mouth quirked into an endearing, one-sided grin. She couldn't believe how incredibly sexy he looked and how incredibly attracted she was to him at this moment. If they weren't expecting a houseful of guests in a few short minutes, she seriously considered slipping out of her dress to once again wish him a Happy Valentine's Day.

Instead she moved to next to him on the bed. Almost of it's own accord, her hand moved to caress the back of his neck, her fingers softly carding the hair on his head.

"What are you playing? It's pretty."

Barbie played a few more chords before leaning his guitar against the bed. Turning to her he reached for her hand, twining their fingers together. "Did you like it?" At her nod, he continued... "I wrote that yesterday, for you. I think it sounds like you – soft and inviting. I used only the good notes."

Julia's smiled with delight at his words. She moved to embrace him with both hands, her lips moving against his mouth in a soft caress. She gently bit his lower lip, then slowly traced that spot with her tongue. His groan of pleasure was a mere rumble she felt in his chest. He pulled her closer, his arms encircling her back, his hands moving to bury his fingers in her hair. Julia was beginning to regret that she had not shed her dress after all. His tongue was tracing the outline of her lips, his kisses caressing her with sweet deliberation, drawing away gently when she tried to deepen the kiss, only to return to her lips, tasting...teasing.

Just as he began to trace the neckline of her dress with softly seeking fingers, a tentative knock on the door startled them apart – a familiar voice calling out to them playfully.

"Hey lovebirds – your guests are beginning to arrive. Are you decent?"

Julia sighed and smiled at Barbie with regret, both sets of eyes still reflecting their desire for each other. "It always the damn door, isn't it?"

"With the worst timing." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before continuing. "Why don't you deal with Angie while I take a minute...recover from your many charms."

To Barbie, she murmured softly, eying him from head to toe. "You do that...you have lipstick on your face... and just so you know...you have a few charms of your own."

Another knock, this one a bit more forceful, broke the spell once again. Angie's voice was brooking no denial this time. "Barbie, Julia I know you're in there. You could answer me, you know."

Once again Julia sighed as they moved in opposite directions. In a few steps she was at the door, pulling it open to reveal a very amused young lady with a knowing smirk on her face. Angie was accustomed to the couple's never ending attraction to each other but did not let a time go by where she didn't tease them about it mercilessly.

As the door swung open, her eyes widened, focusing on Julia's appearance. "Wow, Julia...you look gorgeous." But then her smirk was back. "Except your lipstick is almost gone and your hair seems to have hints of Barbie in it."

A blush, the curse of a redhead, colored Julia's cheeks. Pointedly refusing to acknowledge the comment, Julia changed the subject. "Hi Angie. Where's Hunter?" She moved over to the dressing table and began to repair the makeup that had been a casualty of those very pleasurable moments with Barbie.

"He's downstairs with Joe and Norrie. They're keeping tabs on things, making sure everyone is welcome." She stood behind Julia, eying the curls that had been tousled just moments ago. "Leave your hair the way it is, Julia. This is your look for sure. No need to change it at all."

"Thanks, sweetie." Their eyes met in the mirror's reflection. "Barbie likes it this way too." She couldn't help the smile that came unbidden to her lips at the mere mention of his name. She marveled yet again that their need for each other remained strong as ever, that all it took was a touch of his hand or a sidelong glance to fan the flames of her desire. She couldn't get enough of him and knew he felt the same way.

She was aware he had walked into the room even before he came into her line of sight. His eyes were targeting only her. Barbie felt an unmistakable spark of joy...it never went away. Each time he came to her, that spark flamed out of control and it was all he could do not to kiss her senseless. Each time he saw her, he realized that she was everything to him.

Angie swiveled around to look him up and down, her signature smirk returning with ease. "You clean up pretty good. You look almost as dapper as Hunter."

Barbie raised his eyebrow, glancing at her with his own smirk. "Dapper isn't the look I was going for. It's not me." He moved close to Julia, his hand moving to her shoulder, fingers traveling to rest beneath her curls.

"Oh I beg to differ." Julia laughed as she answered. "You're dapper, baby...but on the rough side of dapper. The side that makes women want to tame you."

Angie watched as Barbie leaned over to whisper something to Julia, then press a kiss beneath her ear. When she saw the scene progressing she began to wave her arms in negation. "Stop, stop, stop! You two have to get downstairs...now! Barbie – move away from Julia." She was laughing as she pulled on his arm, forcing him to step away in order to keep his balance.

"Seriously" …...she continued... "you guys have amazing chemistry and I know how much you mean to each other, but save it for later...please!"

By this time Julia had stood away from the dressing table and was leaning into Barbie, his arm firmly around her waist. "Sorry, sweetie. We'll be right down. Just give us a minute. I promise."

"Uh huh" Angie's voice was skeptical but nevertheless she moved toward the door. "I'm leaving this open and I expect you to be greeting your guests in five minutes!" With a final glance she left the room. She had tried to make that glance stern but failed miserably so hoped her words alone had the desired effect.

Barbie began to move them toward the bed, not surprised when Julia voiced her protest. "No, Barbie, we can't. Angie will come back and drag us down the next time."

An amused laugh rumbled in his chest as he reassured her. "Although the thought of you laying across that bed is all too tempting, I promise to behave. I just wanted to get your Valentine's present." With that he reached into the drawer of his night stand and pulled out a square, black, velvet box, tied with a lavender ribbon. He handed it to Julia murmuring soft words against the curls at the side of her face. "Happy Valentine's Day baby."

Julia hesitated briefly before her fingers moved to loosen the ribbon, letting it float to the floor. She opened the box to discover a wide platinum bangle. She smiled with delight as she lifted the bracelet from it's cushioned nest. "It's beautiful – thank you! But you didn't have to get me anything."

"I know but I wanted to." He gently took it from her hands and opened the hinge, pausing to allow her eyes to rest on the engraving within.

Julia's breath caught in her throat as she saw what Barbie had done. Miniature butterflies book-ended her name: _**Julia Shumway Barbara. **_Her eyes glistened with emotion as Barbie clasped the bracelet around her wrist, it's snug fit perfect and quite comforting.

She loved how it looked on her wrist and knew every time she glanced at it, she would remember what was written on the inside. Barbie knew her so well, knew that the inscription would make his gift more valuable than any cost he expended on the bracelet itself.

She looped her arms around his neck, brushing her lips against his gently, followed by her thumb wiping away any trace of lipstick. "We better get downstairs before Angie comes looking for us."

"Mmhm, but first I just want you to know that I love you."

"I love you too, baby."

Barbie let his fingers trace a path along her jaw as he posed a query. "Always?"

Julia answered, the truth of her words shining in her eyes. "Always and forever."

**Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. It means a lot to me and I love knowing that someone is actually reading my silly drabbles. Special thanks to munyo, Yas-m, Luvs2Ship – you always keep me going with your sweet encouragement.**


	3. St Patrick's Day

_This is so very late for the holiday but better late than never, I guess. A big thank you to Munyo, Yas-M, Luvs2Ship, girlwitharrow and everyone else who has taken the time to read, review, follow and favorite. It means so much to me as we continue to wait for a Jarbie reunion_

* * *

As Barbie walked into the room, the sight of Julia stopped him in his tracks. Except for her very sexy, very short black leather skirt, she was dressed totally in green. High boots, sweater, green parade beads, her red curls twined with green ribbons, green feathers and shamrocks. His first thought was that she looked utterly charming and gorgeous...then he spied the button she had attached to her sweater. In the shape of shamrock (of course) the script read "Kiss Me, I'm Irish."

That's the last thing he wanted to see today – a bunch of drunk, handsy males following those very instructions with relish. Still, he knew he couldn't ask her to not wear it. Being Julia, she'd argue for the opposite just on principle. No, it had to be her idea and he hoped to figure out how to do that before they left for the parade in town.

"You look like a leprechaun."

Julia turned, welcoming him with a smile. He still made her stomach do flips just by walking into the room. "A leprechaun, huh? You do know that leprechauns are short, squat, ill-tempered little creatures. They cause all sorts of mischief...unless you capture one."

"What happens then?" By this time Barbie had his hands at her waist, moving her closer, his breath catching as he felt her body against his. He wanted her as much now as the first time and he knew in his heart that would never change.

"You'd be granted three wishes. By doing that the leprechaun will have won his freedom."

"Hmm...I liked that idea until you got to the granting freedom part. I don't ever want to let you go, so being a leprechaun is out of the question. I do like your shamrock necklace though – very Irish."

"Ahh, the shamrock – there are a lot of myths about the shamrock, both sacred and magical. My favorite and the one I choose to believe is that the shamrock can ward off evil. It's the oldest of the legends."

Barbie was looking into her eyes, mesmerized by her recital, by her soft smile and the way she fit so perfectly in the circle of his arms. "Guess we could have used a few shamrocks to ward off Big Jim Rennie and his schemes." Before continuing he pressed his lips to her forehead. "I take it you've always celebrated this holiday."

Julia couldn't help but giggle at that comment and roll her eyes just a bit. "You have no idea . St. Patrick's Day is huge in Chicago. My dad was always in the parade and my grand-dad would take me to watch. I loved the bands and the floats and how happy everyone was. Dad and grand-dad were _**so **_very proud to be Irish that I'm lucky I ended up being Julia and not Margaret Mary Bridget O'Connor."

"Too many names for me. I like Julia – it's poetic and sensuous and when I say your name, the very next thought on my mind is to kiss you." True to his word he cupped the side of her face with his hand, his thumb gently tracing her lower lip, his own lips following, his kiss slow and thoughtful. When he felt her fingers twining into his hair, heard her hum of desire, he wanted nothing more than to blow off the damn parade and take her to bed.

Just as he began to inch his hands beneath her sweater, just as the luscious softness of her skin began to intoxicate him, just as he felt her melt into him even further, Julia pushed away from him with a cry. "Oww!" She glanced down at her sweater and muttered... "damn button. Forgot I had it on." With a twist of her fingers she quickly removed the offending item, tossing it carelessly to the side table.

Surprised but pleased Barbie tugged her close once again. "Don't you want to wear that to the parade?"

Julia merely cupped his face between her hands and pressed a lingering kiss to his lips. "Nope. I only had it on because I liked the shamrock shape but I can do without the message. In case you didn't know, the only kiss I want today or any day for that matter, is from you."

"Good to know. So are we going to the parade or are we...?"

Julia smiled at his hopeful expression. She wavered when he tucked a stray curl away from her face, her heart melting each time at that tender gesture. "Parade...but later...later I'm all yours."


	4. Happy Easter

_**I wasn't going to write anything for Easter but as luck would have it, a cute little plot bunny hopped into my thoughts. How appropriate. :) **_

Sunshine warmed the day to a pleasant 70 degrees with a light breeze rustling the daffodils and tulips that lined the gazebo in the center of the park. It was an unusually warm day in Zenith – April not being known for temperatures higher than 50 most of the time. This suited Julia – it was perfect weather for an Easter egg hunt.

She had organized the event after learning that the town had nothing planned for the holiday. Some of her fondest memories of childhood were the annual Easter egg hunts in her hometown. Each hidden egg held a prize and one year she even won a gift card to her favorite toy store. So in planning this she visited every merchant in town, persuading all of them to donate something, the grand prizes being Schwinn mountain bikes, one for a boy &amp; one for a girl.

Joe and Norrie were enthusiastic participants in her scheme, volunteering many hours to getting the event prepared. Once prizes were inserted into the plastic eggs, the next step was to hide them in and around the park, which was their favorite task.

"Julia!" Norrie was breathless as she rushed over to the gazebo and up the stairs. "All done! This was an awesome idea. Believe it or not, I remember doing Easter egg hunts when I was little. I also believed that the Easter bunny brought them. How Charlie Brown of me."

As the young redhead plopped herself down on the bench, Julia hugged her, laughing at her comments. "Thanks for helping sweetie. And believing in the Easter bunny is a part of growing up. Besides it's for grown-ups too. They get to experience the joy and wonder little ones show over all the childhood fantasies. It's a way to keep them innocent for awhile longer."

"Yeah, just before we become mouthy, know-it-alls and break their hearts." Norrie sniffed away the tears that were threatening to spill – thinking of her other mom, who never made it out of Chester's Mill.

"Alice was proud of you and I know she sees you now too. If she were here, she'd say that you are a wonderful person, a brave and determined young woman, a daughter she loves with all of her heart."

"Stop it." Norrie's voice trembled with emotion, her laugh shaky. "You're getting sappy and are going to make me cry. I don't want my mascara to run."

Julia laughed as she kissed her forehead affectionately. "OK – no more sappiness. So where are our guys? Still hiding eggs?"

"I guess. Joe said he had to keep an eye on Barbie because he was hiding them too well. He had to remind him that the purpose is for the eggs to actually be found." She giggled as she remembered Barbie's look of consternation when Joe rebuked him.

"Well here they come now so they must be finished." She watched them playfully shove each other as they walked toward the gazebo. Then Joe broke into a run covering the last few steps to sink onto the seat next to Norrie. Barbie followed at a more sedate and dignified pace, his eyes locked on Julia and a smile on his face that was meant only for her.

Julia stood welcoming his embrace and his kiss. Her heart still skipped a beat in his presence, his arms were a haven of safety and love, his lips evoking a passion that came unbidden, no matter that they had kissed more times than either could count.

Joe groaned as he always did at the PDA. "Come on guys...no one wants to see that."

"Shut up Joe." Norrie countered as she slapped his arm in protest. "I think it's romantic...wouldn't hurt you to pay attention and learn."

"Ahh! Norrie! Change the subject...please." He begged.

Everyone was laughing at Joe's expense, including him. He welcomed their good natured teasing and always had but especially now that they were free...it was doubly enjoyable.

"OK, OK." She gave in with a a typical Norrie giggle. "I had an idea. There are going to be more kids at this hunt than eggs so I thought we could make up some Easter baskets as consolations prizes, for those who don't luck out with an egg."

"Yeah!" Joe answered with enthusiasm. "All the candy and stuff is on sale now and I'll bet we can even get some donated too. Let's go!"

Julia and Barbie watched them run off, each lost in their own thoughts. Julia leaned her back against Barbie with a sigh, taking his hands to wind around her waist.

"What are you thinking?" He asked her as he nuzzled her neck, breathing in her luscious scent, welcoming the brush of her curls against his face.

"I'm thinking that I'm glad none of these eggs are black with pink stars running up the edges or blinding white or screaming. I'm glad these are just normal plastic Easter eggs."

"Me too." His response was muffled as he kept moving his lips against Julia's neck resting beneath her ear, toying with the spot he knew was so sensitive.

"Hmm...it was sweet of you to help with this." Her words were a bit breathless.

Barbie's hands moved from her waist to gently cradle the tiny baby bump that was just beginning to make itself known. She felt his lips curve into a smile against her neck and felt his breath warm her skin as he replied... "I need the practice."


End file.
